In The Torchlight
by Bob The Other Zombie
Summary: Critical Role: After defeating the Scourged Rider, Kima and Allura decide to go out for a drink.


Kima eyed Allura across the wooden table, clenching her fingers around her mug of ale. She had never hated Allura more than this moment. Foolishly, Kima had agreed to get into drinking contest with her because, come on, it was Ally, the woman carried herself like she'd never had a drop of anything alcoholic in her life. Kima couldn't imagine an Allura anything less than sober.

And sober is how Allura had ended up, as it turned out. They were five pints in, and Kima's head was spinning, the world swimming dizzily around her, but Allura was still seated elegantly straight on her chair, not even a hair out of place in her blonde braids. One side of Allura's lips curled up as she watched Kima. "How are you doing?" she asked.

Kima muttered something less than kind, but her tongue, heavy from drink, tripped over the words. Allura laughed, that stupidly musical laugh of hers that always made Kima feel like she'd just drank a healing potion.

"What was that, Kima?" Allura asked. Perhaps it was the alcohol, but she didn't manage an innocent tone- the mockery was evident in the quirk of her mouth and the glinting of her eyes.

"Hate you." Kima said. "Did you...did you..." She made a swirling gesture over her open mug, accompanied with a noise that was meant to be a rough imitation of the noise of one of Allura's stronger spells. "Cheat?"

It was apparently a poor imitation. Allura, mid swig, snorted, and alcohol spewed out of her nose. "Kima!"

Kima grinned, happy to have gotten this small revenge on Allura. She grabbed Allura's arm. "Who's drunk now."

Allura just kept giggling. "I've never seen you this drunk."

"'M not drunk." Kima was fixated on Allura's arm, its smooth texture underneath her fingers. "Can do another, c'mon."

Allura shook her head. She hadn't stopped laughing. It was a wonder she was still breathing. "No, no, we should stop. We're titled now, we can't go getting drunk in taverns."

"Lil late for that." Kima muttered, and that set Allura off again, laughing so giddily that she came close to tears.

When Allura surfaced again, she was red-faced, eyes bright with mirth, face relaxed in the type of smile that had nothing at all to do with politeness. In the dim light of the tavern, framed by silky blonde hair, Allura gleamed.

The smile faded from Allura's face like sand dripping out of an hourglass. "What?"

Kima blinked and looked away. "Nothing."

"All right, we should get you home." Allura grabbed Kima's arm and helped her off the tall barstool. "You've clearly had too much." The floor was much less even than Kima remembered, the tavern a bit more crowded, and she had to rely on Allura's gentle hands to guide her through to the door. Allura pulled open the door for her, and Kima stumbled out.

It was a lot quieter out here, and cooler, too, a bite in the air warning of winter. The street was barely lit except for few torches here and there. Kima wasn't worried, though. She and Allura could handle most garden-variety prowlers- they'd fought through worse together.

Allura shut the door behind her and placed a hand on Kima's shoulder as they began walking back to their inn. Kima shrugged her off. "M fine, cool air helps." she said, and immediately nearly fell on her face.

Allura frowned. "Do you want me to cast something to sober you up?"

Kima shook her head, yawning. She seemed to have left the lively part of being drunk back in the tavern. "Don't waste it, inn's not far from here."

"If you're sure."

A moment later, Kima nearly tripped again- damn uneven roads- and she felt Allura's hand slip into hers. Kima looked up at Allura.

"Don't protest, I'm trying to keep you from killing yourself." Allura said.

Protesting was the last thing on Kima's mind. They'd held hands before, to pull each other up a mountain, or to reassure each other in difficult moments, but never like this- quietly, with the cool air and the warmth of the ale mixing in Kima's chest. "Should be part elf." she muttered.

Allura laughed. "What?"

"You. You're part elf."

"Why would you think that?"

"You look..." Kima struggled for the word to describe Allura, eyes glimmering with joy at the bar, and Allura, golden hair flickering in the torchlight on this calm street, and Allura, the fierce spellcaster and tough ally, and Allura, Ally, her closest friend. "...ethereal."

Allura glanced down at her. Kima couldn't tell in the firelight, but she thought Allura's cheeks might be rosier than usual. "How many did you have, Kima?"

"Too many." Kima said, and she couldn't have torn her eyes away from Allura's face even if she'd wanted to.


End file.
